Friday, July 29, 2011

7 Lessons from the Elevator

I'm teaching my daughters elevator etiquette.

1. When the doors open, stand aside to let others exit before you enter.
2. Allow those with heavy loads to enter first. Assist them if they need help.
3. Once inside, offer to hold the door so others can enter, and then politely ask which floor they want.
4. If a child is on the elevator, ask if he or she would like to push the button for the floor. They will want to.
5. Give people space.
6. Don't make unnecessary noise or movement when inside out of respect to others.
7. If a group travels together, offer to wait for the next elevator so that group can have room in the elevator.

Basically, defer to others. Defer means to submit humbly to another person's desires or needs. I want our family to say, "I defer to you," in as many situations as possible.

Living with flair means I remember my elevator etiquette.

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Journal: Good manners have a lot to do with deferring to others. Which elevator rule did I forget?

About Me

In my writing classes, we talk about writing with flair, but lately I've been interested in what it means to live with flair. Can I find a way to make every day impressive and meaningful? Just as a sentence turns into something beautiful with the right verb and punctuation, can I learn to revise my day and punctuate it with flair?

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I'm a wife and mother of two who teaches college writing. I love writing novels, encouraging teachers, reflecting on spiritual principles in everyday life, drinking tea out of my little blue teapot, petting my cats, exercising, lighting candles, reading grammar books, watching movies and any television show with singing and dancing in it, entertaining, eating leftover Chinese food, and blogging. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.